Landscape Recovery Woodland Officer

Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife.

The Government has committed to establishing nature recovery networks to improve, extend and connect wildlife-rich habitat, and introduced a range of incentives to recover nature for wildlife, climate and people. Protection, restoration, management and expansion of woodland and trees plays a major role in establishing this network to support the Governments statutory targets on climate change mitigation, tree cover, biodiversity and water quality, as well as climate change adaptation, access and wellbeing.

Landscape Recovery (LR) is one of several new initiatives introduced to deliver these outcomes through Environmental Land Management schemes. LR supports ambitious land-use change and habitat restoration. The scheme offers farmers and land managers the opportunity to co-design a bespoke agreement to produce environmental and climate goals across landscape scale projects.

The Forestry Commission works as a delivery partner, collaborating with Natural England, Environment Agency and Defra to design, develop and deliver the Landscape Recovery programme.

There are four main distinguishing features of the Landscape Recovery scheme:

• Large-scale projects: the scheme is designed to deliver outcomes that require collaborative action across larger areas, such as restoring ecological or hydrological function across a landscape.
• Long-term public funding (for example for 20 years or longer): the scheme will support outcomes that take a long time to deliver, such as peatland restoration, woodland management or habitat restoration.
• Bespoke agreements: the scheme can fund activities that contribute to priority outcomes but are specific to the locality and so difficult to facilitate through other schemes.
• Blended funding: the features above and the provision of development funding should enable projects to attract private investment. It is a requirement for all successful projects to acquire private finance.

Landscape Recovery is encouraging farmers and landowners to contribute towards our climatological and environmental goals, whilst increasing woodland/tree cover and increasing productivity from farmland. This is especially important at the time of acute geopolitical crisis and global economic trends, with food security climbing the agenda. The Forestry Commission (FC) are the governments forestry experts: We work to protect, improve, and expand Englands woods and forests. This is done by providing policy advice to government and leading delivery through regulation, incentives, and protecting tree health.

We are seeking dynamic individuals with experience in forestry/farming and/or land management, who are quick to learn and can inspire and enthuse others. The Landscape Recovery Woodland Officer (LRWO) role can be seen as the face of the Forestry Commission to landowners, managers and stakeholders interested in exploring planting trees and managing woodland. As Forestry Commission Area Landscape Recovery Woodland Officer role, you will proactively advise and support Area based staff on landscape scale projects, providing expert advice on project development, implementation, regulation, and environmental benefits, with a particular focus on supporting local forest and farming industries. The Landscape Recovery Woodland Officer role is Area based, individually covering large regions, but will be part of a team, working alongside FC Woodland Officers (WO), Agroforestry Woodland Officers (AFWO) and Woodland Creation Officers (WCO), who have their own geographic area. You will have the ability to assist Forestry Commission staff, landowners and agents to build strong working relationships in its efforts to encourage integrated land use models involving trees, woodland, and forestry. Local stakeholder engagement will be a core part of the role, bringing interested parties and regulators together to find innovative ways to bring farming and forestry closer together to benefit business and the environment. You will be required to stay away from home on business occasionally, both within the Forest Services Area where you work, and for National meetings and training purposes.

Key work Areas:

Work collaboratively as part of the FC Area team, complementing FC woodland creation and existing woodland management expertise and delivery, providing a bridge between forestry and farming/land use. LRWOs will be required to field questions from the LR project officers and will help to drive additional aims of the projects including Natural Flood Mitigation measures, river and water course improvement, fenland and open habitat restoration. You will need to provide regulatory and grant support alongside private finance schemes, competent support of delivery of these outcomes through BNG and or private finance. You will be required to assist in the review of LR woodland management plans which will be undertaken on a bespoke workspace.

Knowledge of forestry Regulations relating to woodland creation will be essential (Environmental Impact Assessment); as will the ability to process grant applications. You will be required to build a better understanding of landowner aspirations and their thoughts on the economic and natural capital benefits, through stakeholder and user engagement. Liaise with key external stakeholders, namely landowners, future applicants, and land use consultants. Engaging with locally based partners such as Natural England, Woodland Trust, CLA, NFU, Rivers Trusts, wider stakeholders, and the public. Work closely with the local network of farm cluster groups and our own National Grants and Regulation Team, to link and support training and guidance outputs, providing support when delivering training courses, and at events.

Essential criteria

• Degree/ Higher Diploma in forestry / land management / countryside management and/or significant equivalent and related experience in forestry / land management.
• Proven knowledge and experience of forestry, farming and/or land management.
• Good interpersonal and influencing skills demonstrating the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with internal colleagues, stakeholders, and our customers.
• Ability to proactively deal with complex and contentious issues relating to people and woodland interests, leading to the delivery of project outcomes and development of work areas as necessary.
• Ability to prioritise and manage a varied workload.
• Good computer skills with experience of MS Office and Excel.

Please clearly demonstrate how the above applies to you throughout your application. Failure to do so will mean that your application is automatically sifted out.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of designing/creating and/or managing forestry and land systems.
• Experience and knowledge of forestry and agriculture regulation and incentives.
• Experience of promoting, designing, and establishing new woodland.
• Experience of working in partnership across delivery organisations.
• Experience of supporting integrated land/woodland management.
• Understanding the principles of landscape design.
• Membership of (or working towards) a relevant professional institute (e.g. Institute of Chartered Foresters, CIEEM or RICS).
• Evidence of maintaining Continuous Professional Development.